Today: Let Us Frack. Excess Success.

Hello. I'm Davan Maharaj, the editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines you shouldn't miss today.

TOP STORIES

Spy Files Looted

When U.S. special ops teams had to pull out of Yemen, officials worried about losing a big intelligence tool in the fight against Al Qaeda. The damage may be worse than initially thought. Iran-backed militia leaders have looted Yemeni files with details of U.S. operations, including IDs of local informants. The country, meanwhile, is spiraling into civil war.

Let Us Frack

In Windsor, N.Y., jobs are scarce and people are leaving. Just across the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, business is booming. What gives? Pennsylvania allows fracking, a controversial way to force natural gas out of shale. New York bans it as a risk to clean water and public health. That's a risk many in Windsor and nearby towns seem willing to take. They're talking secession.

An Excess of Success

Unemployment is way down. The skyline is way up. The treasury is flush, and philanthropists are building hospitals and schools. Since Ed Lee became mayor of San Francisco and embraced the tech boom, the city has boomed along with it. So what's with the "Evict Ed Lee" graffiti? In a word: housing. Read why Lee's legacy is also his problem.

The Talk of the Valley

Was Ellen Pao a greedy underperformer or the victim of a sexist corporate culture? No matter who wins, the drama playing out in a San Francisco court already is rattling Silicon Valley and its reputation as a largely man's world. The jury's still out, but "the impact of the case already is being felt," says a tech entrepreneur. "People know the problems are bigger than this."

CALIFORNIA

-- The city's share of a Los Angeles River restoration project could reach $1.2 billion, far more than earlier suggested.

Even in the weird world of TV weather, George Fischbeck stood out. His enthusiasm about the nuances of meteorology sometimes caused him to forget about the forecast. And L.A. loved him. "Dr. George," as he was known, died Wednesday at 92. Read a profile of a real L.A. original.